- Female narrator: She was a beloved school teacher
dedicated to her students.
- This was a kindergarten teacher that was so well-loved.
- I always told her she looked like snow white.
- Narrator: But when gunshots ring out on a warm spring day,
friends and family are left speechless.
- I was shocked. It didn't make any sense.
- Narrator: Detectives learn this educator may have been
caught in the crossfire of a forbidden love affair.
- Somebody had specifically targeted her.
- Narrator: As police race to identify their shooter,
they discover a string of lies, threats
and a frightening ultimatum.
- Eva: She started going through a divorce
and people started seeing the change in her.
- He portrayed her as a troublemaker that had to go.
- Narrator: After years of tracking a killer,
a shocking development will finally reveal the truth.
- It was the piece that the state needed in order to go
forward on the case.
- It just seems to tie everything together.
- These two people had sociopathic tendencies.
- She is sleeping with the devil and the devil has a mistress.
- ♪
♪
- narrator: May 26, 1993.
It's 4 p.M. When 29-year-old jim guevara arrives
at the san antonio, texas, apartment he shares
with his wife, 32-year-old velia guevara.
- He entered the apartment, uh, there was a hallway leading off
toward a bedroom.
- He calls for his wife and, uh, he doesn't hear anything.
He goes to a couple different rooms.
Then he encounters her body in a hall.
- David: He saw velia on her back.
She was unresponsive and stiff and pale.
He called 911.
- Narrator: As first responders arrive at the scene,
shelley stelzer, an assistant apartment manager
and friend of velia, is drawn outside.
- Shelley: There were fire trucks in front
of velia's apartment.
When my manager went to ask what had happened,
one of the firemen did tell her
there was an accident or a heart attack.
I was shocked. I-- it didn't make any sense.
How could she have a heart attack when I just saw her
earlier that morning and she was fine?
- Narrator: Velia acosta was born in san antonio, texas,
on November 22, 1960.
One of three girls, velia and her sisters were
raised in a childhood steeped in faith.
- We went to a really very small catholic girls' school
called providence.
You have to know that if parents take the effort
and the time to send their kids to catholic schools,
then you know that that plays a big part in their overall
family life, the way they believe.
- Narrator: Bright and beautiful,
velia easily made friends.
- Melisa: She was just lovely.
That's the only way to describe
the person that I remember.
- Silvia: She was very lively and bubbly, and she had
beautiful, fair skin and black hair.
I always told her she looked like snow white.
- Narrator: After graduating from high school,
velia attended college where she earned a degree
in education, eventually finding work
as a kindergarten teacher.
- Melisa: This was a kindergarten teacher
that was so well-loved.
And when you walk into school when you're five years old
and you have your first teacher, and it's somebody
who is as sweet and as caring and as gentle
and soft-spoken as velia, think of what that does.
It's a foundation for every other year after that.
- Narrator: Velia dreamed of having children of her own
one day, and when she met handsome jim guevara,
she thought that dream may come true.
- Silvia: They had known each other for a little while.
He thought she was so pretty, so he finally just kind of said,
"you know, I really wanna go out with you."
and they started going out and, uh, you know,
they seemed really happy.
- He was a very ambitious fellow.
He wanted to move up in the world.
He was always looking for ways to work contacts,
to play the corporate game, so to speak.
- Narrator: Jim worked for a prominent newspaper in town,
"the san antonio light."
- silvia: He was a very funny guy.
He was very easygoing, and he was very nice.
She loved him very much.
- Narrator: In 1990, after a couple years of dating,
jim popped the question.
- Silvia: She was so happy when they got engaged.
And when they got married, she was just elated.
All I remember is her bringing the ring to church
at choir practice and showing everybody,
and we're all very happy for her.
- Narrator: For velia and jim, it was an exciting time.
The newlyweds rented a charming apartment
in downtown san antonio
and began dreaming of starting a family.
- Silvia: She wanted to have children.
She was very much looking forward to becoming a mother.
- Narrator: But becoming parents would have to wait.
In early 1993, the newspaper jim worked for
shut down.
- Bill: We had two newspapers here in san antonio.
He worked for the one that ended up getting essentially
bought out, and so he was out of a job.
- Silvia: I saw her every week, twice a week, you know.
And out of the blue, she just started crying.
Like just broke down in tears and just put her head on my lap
and bawled her eyes out. And I was just--I was in shock.
I didn't know what was going on.
She was a private person and didn't wanna trouble people
with problems, especially about marriage.
But she was just very sad. It was really hard.
- Narrator: However, jim felt confident that he would soon
find new work, and the couple hoped
that better days lay ahead.
- Silvia: They were living in an apartment at the time,
so I know they wanted to buy a house eventually.
I know she wanted to have children.
- Narrator: But on may 26, 1993,
the couple's hopes for a bright future fade
when jim finds velia unresponsive in their apartment.
When first responders approach her body,
they quickly realize it's much too late to help velia.
- When her lifeless body was found there on the floor,
and, uh, the ems check her out, there's an initial pronouncement
of death right there at the scene.
Velia was shot three times.
She had to have been dead for several hours.
- Narrator: It's clear this death was no accident.
- When I arrived, I could see what appeared to be three
gunshot wounds to the--uh, to the abdomen.
I didn't see any kind of struggle at the scene, uh,
so I suspected that velia maybe knew the person who shot her.
We also suspected that maybe she had walked in
and the person who shot and killed her had already, uh,
been there, you know, basically waiting for her.
There was not a lot of blood, which would indicate to me
that she died very quickly after being shot.
There were a lot of questions, obviously,
from the initial crime scene.
We wanted to know what would have led somebody
to kill this young lady.
- Silvia: I didn't know what could've happened.
Who would want to murder her?
I thought that had to do with, you know,
a crime of passion maybe.
- Narrator: Coming up, police attempt to piece together
what happened inside the guevara home.
- Whoever got in there just walked right in.
- Narrator: And detectives track down
their first suspects in the case.
- My gut instincts was that the husband might be involved.
I asked if he was having any kind of affair.
- Bill: She seemed to be kind of watching the building
where velia's apartment was.
- ♪
- narrator: On may 26, 1993, san antonio police descend
upon the apartment complex where 32-year-old velia guevara
has just been found shot to death.
- Bill: She was shot, I believe, three times,
and she did have rigor mortis at the time,
so she had been, uh, there for a while.
- Narrator: After an initial examination of the scene
inside the apartment, detective daniel gonzales
moves outside to speak to velia's husband, jim guevara.
- Bill: James was basically saying,
"look we had no problems,"
it was the standard happy couple story.
- Daniel: My gut instincts was
that the husband might be involved.
He said he had come home from a day of playing golf
and having found his door ajar, went inside and discovered
that his wife had been shot and killed.
We had to check it out, obviously.
It was something we-- we needed to look into.
- Narrator: When a quick phone call confirms that jim
was at the golf course earlier in the day,
police ask him for other potential suspects.
- Daniel: He said there were some problems
in the apartment complex with-- uh, with burglaries.
- Narrator: Operating on this tip,
investigators survey the crime scene.
- There was no sign of any kind of forced entry
to the apartment, the door had not been pried,
there were no windows broken.
- Whoever got in there just walked right in.
And they didn't find any valuables missing.
- It didn't look like an apartment that had been
the subject of a burglary or a robbery
or anything of that type, so that immediately caused
the police to believe that that is not what happened here.
- Narrator: Detective gonzales and his team take a closer look
at the victim.
- The initial evidence that was obvious to us at the scene,
there were two bullets recovered
that had gone through velia's body.
She was shot three times.
We also found a single 9mm shell casing near the body.
It was on a couch nearby.
- Narrator: Police fail to find the remaining
two shell casings, but they do find ammunition
elsewhere in the home.
- In a closet we found spent 9mm shell casings,
casings that already been shot.
- All of these had been expended, it had been processed
through a handgun or handguns before,
but they no longer had the gunpowder
or the packing in it.
Whenever there's a shooting, the initial thought
is to look for the gun and track what kind of gun it was
that would've fired these bullets.
- They got a consent to search james's car, and inside his car
they found other 9mm shell casings.
- Daniel: Also, when we searched jim's car,
we found a pawn ticket receipt for a 9mm handgun
in jim guevara's name.
This heightened suspicion that he might somehow be involved.
- Narrator: The discovery prompts detectives to invite jim
back to the station for a more detailed interview.
- Daniel: Basically, we started asking more probing questions
once we got down to the homicide office.
I asked if he suspected his wife of having any kind of affair,
and he said he did not.
I asked if he was involved with anyone, and he said he was not.
- Narrator: When detective gonzales confronts him
about the spent casings found at the scene,
jim explains that he retrieved them while using
a rented 9mm gun at a local shooting range.
- Daniel: He claimed he had picked up these shell casings
that he had fired because his brother-in-law
actually reloaded ammunition and that's why he picked up
the--uh, the shell casings.
He explained that the shell casings in the car
were from that, and the shell casings
in his closet were from that also.
- Narrator: As for the pawn receipt recovered from his car,
jim admits to detectives that he was in the process
of purchasing a gun.
- Bill: The explanation that he gave was that he had
a 9mm gun on layaway,
and he was planning on getting that gun.
- Daniel: Another detective actually called the pawn shop
and confirmed that the gun in question was still physically
at that location at the time.
- Narrator: With a seemingly credible explanation,
police begin to view jim less like a suspect
and more like a grieving husband.
- Daniel: There was really no new red flags at that time.
We told him we'd like to continue speaking with him
and we would stay in touch and if he thought of anything,
to, uh--to call us.
- Narrator: Back at the crime scene,
velia's body is transported to the coroner's office
for an official autopsy.
- The information from the autopsy would help us
focus the investigation a little bit.
- Narrator: Next, officers canvass jim and velia's
apartment building for any possible witnesses.
Speaking with the building's assistant manager,
shelley stelzer, they learn the management office
received some odd anonymous phone calls earlier that day.
- Daniel: She had received one or two phone calls from somebody
claiming that the victim's car lights were on
in the parking lot.
- Shelley: I just thought that was strange,
that someone had left multiple messages about a car
having its lights on in the parking lot,
which is not really something most people
are concerned enough to leave more than one message about.
It seemed kind of puzzling to us in the office, um,
why that was so urgent.
- Narrator: Shelley tells police that when she phoned velia
about the calls, she reached her answering machine.
- A little bit later that morning,
velia came by my office. She was walking her dog.
She said thanks for the message.
She was actually not working that day,
it was some school holiday.
- David: Velia came to the leasing office
and reported to them that she went and checked on her car
and the lights were not on.
And that's the last time they saw her.
She went off walking with her dog.
- Narrator: According to shelley,
when velia left her office around 10 a.M.,
everything seemed fine.
- Shelley: She was cheerful, upbeat.
She was always that way when we saw her.
- Daniel: Ms. Stelzer also said that, at about 10 o'clock
that morning, a lady had come in to ask to use
the telephone at the office.
Some woman that she had never seen before.
- Shelley: She seemed kind of startled...
When we asked if we could help her.
- Narrator: After speaking to shelley,
police learn the maintenance man also saw the same woman
on the apartment property.
- She seemed to be kind of watching the building
where velia's apartment was.
- We felt that this woman might somehow be involved.
We needed to find her.
- Narrator: Coming up, could a bitter ex-employee
be responsible for velia's killing?
- Jim gave this explanation that he had been involved
in the firing of somebody,
and that this person had not taken it well.
- Narrator: And investigators uncover a secret life,
built on lies and irresistible temptation.
- They started out as friends, but she had other intentions.
- ♪
- narrator: In the spring of 1993,
investigator daniel gonzales is determined to find the person
responsible for killing 32-year-old
elementary school teacher velia guevara.
- Daniel: There were some people who saw this woman
at velia's apartment.
It was another piece of the puzzle.
It was just a matter of finding the person
that did this to velia.
- Narrator: His focus now is to try and identify
the mysterious woman seen at velia's apartment complex
on the day of the murder.
- Someone was, uh, prowling the parking lot.
At some point, she went into the lease office
and asked to use a phone,
but she decides she doesn't wanna use their phone
and she leaves.
- Narrator: While the woman's identity remains a mystery,
detectives hope velia's autopsy can shed some light
on her death.
- Bill: She was shot three times in the abdomen area,
and one of those ended up severing her spine--
spinal column.
- Narrator: A 9mm slug removed from the body
is consistent with the projectiles found
at the crime scene.
- Daniel: When I spoke to one of the investigators,
he estimated the time of death between 9 o'clock
and 11 o'clock in the morning that day.
- Narrator: This information coincides with the time
the unidentified woman was seen at the apartment complex.
- It made us believe we were on the right track,
that somebody had specifically targeted velia.
- Narrator: Digging deeper into velia's background,
detectives reach out to the school where velia worked.
Speaking to the principal, investigators learn
that velia was being harassed prior to her death.
- Daniel: Velia worked at a school.
This person would call and ask for her,
usually hang up when velia got on the phone,
sometimes she would speak with her.
- Bill: It was always a female that was doing this,
would say things like, "hello, hello, hello,"
pretending that they can't hear when velia's trying
to speak to them.
She was getting these at work often,
so there was this harassment in the background
that was going on.
- Daniel: The principal said she could see that
whatever was said obviously upset velia.
- Narrator: To try and determine who may be behind
the disturbing calls,
detectives bring in velia's husband, jim,
for an additional interview.
But as the conversation begins, police are alerted
to a surprising development when yet another caller
comes forward with details on the case.
- Daniel: During the interview, another detective interrupted me
and said there was a phone call for me,
so I went and took the phone call,
and it turned out to be tina timmerman.
- Narrator: Detective gonzales learns the caller
is one of jim's former coworkers
from "the san antonio light" newspaper.
Tina claims to have some important information
for investigators.
- David: She told the police, "you might want to know
"that james guevara, the husband of the woman
"that you found murdered, has been having an affair
"with this woman, minnie salinas,
for the last three years."
- daniel: Tina told me that jim and minnie had been coworkers.
Minnie was a secretary at "the san antonio light,"
at the time, and that she noticed that minnie
was flirtatious toward jim.
And that after a while, that jim and minnie had,
you know, become involved.
- Adolfo: Obviously, it was kind of scandalous.
They started out as friends,
but she had other intentions, and he was willing to go along.
- Daniel: So once tina had told us this information,
you know, I went back and continued the interview
with jim and brought these things up and--at which point,
he admitted the affair.
- Bill: He said that he began an affair with minnie salinas
prior to the time that he was married to velia.
And in fact, the first time that jim guevara
and minnie salinas engaged in sexual intercourse
was two or three days before jim and velia were married.
- Narrator: Given this startling new information,
police must consider if jim's mistress could be
behind velia's murder.
- Daniel: Jim was adamant to us that he didn't believe minnie
had killed velia.
When asked who he thought might have been harassing velia
or causing these kind problems, he mentioned eva perez.
- Bill: Jim gave this explanation that he had been
involved in the firing of somebody a few years back
at the newspaper where he was working,
and that this person had not taken it well.
And so, he believed that was the person that was actually
doing this harassment.
- Adolfo: He portrayed eva perez as a troublemaker
that had to go, like she was very angry about him firing her.
- Narrator: Hearing jim's indictment of eva,
police now have two new suspects to consider.
- Eventually, I--I locate eva perez and I interview her,
she was very cooperative.
- Eva: I was like pretty scared,
'cause I was like, you know, like, "what do you mean?
"they think I did it, like
"I haven't even talked to this guy.
I don't even know what he was doing at the time."
- narrator: Eva tells detectives that jim was her boss,
and confesses they had an adverse relationship.
- Eva: He was very hard to work with,
really hostile, very rude, male chauvinist,
just, um, really hard to get along.
- Adolfo: The friction he had with, uh, eva perez,
she believed it was because
she was trying to organize a union.
- Narrator: But eva tells police that when she left her job,
she harbored no ill will to jim or the company.
- There wasn't any disagreement or anything,
I left in good standing.
Didn't ever think anything of it.
- Narrator: Most importantly, eva is able to provide police
with a rock-solid alibi for the day of the murder.
- Eva: I actually was in california, so I had to fly in.
They started to ask me questions about where I was
the day that his wife died, and I'm like,
"I've been in california this whole time.
I've not been in san antonio."
- daniel: She did not seem to me to be holding any kind
of grudge against jim.
Eva had nothing to do with this murder.
- Narrator: With eva cleared,
police decide it's time to take a long look
at the other woman in jim's life,
his mistress, minnie salinas.
Born on December 13, 1963,
minnie bronte salinas grew up in the small town
of sebastian, texas.
- It's just a tiny little, uh, farm community
in the middle of nowhere.
When she was a young woman, she wanted to study
to work with deaf children.
- Narrator: Eventually, minnie decided to take
a different career path, one that landed her at a job
in the circulation department of jim guevara's employer,
"the san antonio light" newspaper.
- She, uh, was an executive secretary at "the light."
so, she had administrative skills.
She was married, they had two kids,
and it looked like she and her husband got along well.
- Narrator: But soon after starting her new job,
minnie's marriage was on the rocks.
- Eva: She was very reserved, very quiet,
and then I think she started going through a divorce
and people started seeing the change in her.
- Adolfo: Minnie started dressing more provocatively
at work and flirting with coworkers.
Obviously, that's how she ended up getting involved with james
shortly before he actually married velia.
- Narrator: After the newspaper shut its doors,
minnie found work with a local insurance company.
Despite the new job, minnie still managed
to carry on her romance with jim.
- Minnie was having an affair--
a long-time affair-- with james guevara, um,
for the last three years.
- Narrator: The information obtained by police
shoots minnie to the top of their suspect list.
Now, they just need to find her.
- They wanted to get answers.
And they thought the best way to do that was
to get minnie on the record.
- Narrator: Coming up, detectives catch up
with jim's combative mistress.
- Daniel: That was like flipping a switch,
her demeanor totally changed.
- Narrator: And a motive for velia's death
comes into focus.
- Adolfo: She says, "you've got 'til June 1
"to tell her and file for divorce,
or I'm out of this relationship."
- ♪
- narrator: San antonio detectives are working
the theory that jim guevara's 29-year-old mistress
minnie salinas may be responsible for the murder
of his wife, velia guevara.
- Daniel: We've got the name of his lover,
and we've got the mystery woman at the apartment complex.
The next step would be to see if we can get minnie salinas
identified as that-- that mystery woman.
- Narrator: Police attempt to locate minnie at both
her apartment and the insurance company where she works,
to no avail.
Instead, they speak to her employers to learn
more about her whereabouts on the day of the murder.
- They had a magnetic card system there that, um,
it recorded when she came into the--into the office
and when she left the office.
- The security system said that minnie had arrived to work
at 6:41 on the morning of the murder.
And the next entry into the security system said
she had arrived to work at 10:41.
In that four-hour period,
there was no corresponding exit from the location.
That seemed odd, if you're going to log into a building,
it's gonna log you out when you leave as well.
So, that indicated to me that she had logged in at 6:41
but had never actually entered the building.
And then logged again at 10:41.
- Narrator: Even more intriguing for police
is that the four-hour time gap
aligns with the time of velia's murder.
- That means that minnie salinas had the opportunity
to--to have committed the murder.
She was not at work between the hours
when the murder occurred.
- Narrator: Before leaving minnie's work,
detectives obtain a copy of her employee id photo,
along with picture of five of minnie's female coworkers,
and head to velia's apartment complex on may 28.
- Daniel: Detective rup showed shelley the six photographs
that he had prepared, or that he had picked up.
- He asked me if any of those were the woman who--who had come
in the office and asked to use the phone that day.
And I picked out minnie salinas from the six photos.
- Narrator: With a positive id on minnie, on June 1,
a second attempt by detective gonzales to locate his suspect
finally pays off.
- I went to her workplace.
I asked if she would be willing to come down
and speak with me and she agreed.
Once I began interviewing her, she readily admitted the affair.
She said that she had given jim an ultimatum, by June 1,
to decide about their relationship--
whether jim wanted to be with her or whether he wanted
to be with velia.
- Narrator: Minnie denies ever making any threats to velia.
As for her whereabouts on the day of the shooting,
minnie has an answer for that too.
- She said she was at the doctor's office
at the time this was committed.
- Bill: Which would've been consistent with the fact that
she only put the card in at her workplace
for entry purposes and then decided to turn around,
it's 'cause she felt bad,
even though she went into work a few hours later.
- Narrator: Minnie even offers up a printed record
of her time at the doctor's office.
- It shows, you know, at, uh, may 26 at, you know,
9:30 or 10 o'clock in the morning
when, uh, we all believe, and the evidence shows that, uh,
velia was murdered in her apartment,
that minnie salinas was at a doctor's appointment.
- Narrator: Despite the fact that minnie attempts
to provide an alibi, detectives confront her
with the fact that she was spotted by a witness
at the crime scene within hours of the murder.
- Daniel: That was like flipping a switch.
Her demeanor totally changed, she, uh--
she got very belligerent, very angry, basically denied
that she was seen there, started cussing me out.
- At that point she storms out of the interview,
'cause she's free to go at that point,
she's not under arrest.
- Narrator: With minnie currently free,
police work to solidify their case against her.
- Daniel: We found one of minnie's friends,
a young lady by the name of perla velazquez.
I spoke with perla and learned that minnie salinas
had contacted her the night of the murder.
Perla said minnie appeared very nervous and very upset.
She'd come over to perla's apartment, the news was on.
Minnie said that, uh, police suspected it was a burglary,
and, uh, minnie also told perla that it had happened
about 10 o'clock in the morning.
This is significant because the autopsy revealed
that that was probably the time the murder occurred,
but that was not public knowledge.
We didn't release that to the media.
She also told perla that she had to get rid of jim's gun,
so she admitted to perla that jim had a gun.
In fact, I think she said that she had to get rid of jim's 9mm.
- Narrator: The call from perla directly contradicts
jim guevara's statement that he didn't yet own
a 9mm handgun.
A forensic analysis of shell casings recovered
from the crime scene adds further suspicion
to jim's story.
- The...Two of the three shell casings found in jim's car
matched the shell casing that we believe was
from the murder weapon.
- Narrator: When detectives analyze the medical note
that shows minnie at the doctor on the morning of the murder,
they make another shocking discovery.
- You got a nurse who can tell us,
"these are doctored records.
These look like they've been, in some way, changed."
and the date and the time had been changed.
- Narrator: Investigators now believe jim and minnie
had been planning velia's murder for some time.
- Daniel: I think they both had the same ultimate goal,
was that jim and minnie wanted to be together,
and I think velia stood in the way of them being together.
- Melisa: There are lot of reasons
why spouses stay with each other.
A lot of times it's religious.
Having been raised very strictly catholic,
we don't get divorces.
That's the way we believe.
So, in velia's case, it's very possible that it had
everything to do with the way we were raised.
- Narrator: Detectives believe that jim set up
his golf game on the day of the murder
so that he would have a solid alibi
while minnie went to their apartment complex.
- While james was at the golf course,
there were several calls that came in
to the apartment complex indicating that the lady
in velia's apartment had left her lights on her vehicle.
Velia left the apartment door unlocked.
And while she went down to check on her lights
that were not on,
then minnie salinas snuck into the apartment
and waited for her to return.
Upon velia's return, she murdered her.
- [gunshot]
- bill: The working theory was that james came into the house,
saw two cartridge casings laying on the floor,
which he picked up and took to his car and dropped off,
and missed the one sitting on the couch.
- Everything about the investigation pointed to...
James guevara and minnie salinas as being the, uh,
perpetrators of this crime.
It was decided we would just walk the warrant
on minnie salinas since jim obviously
didn't pull the trigger.
He might have knowledge of it, he might be involved in it,
but I think the da's office at the time was not confident
that they could proceed with a case against jim at that time.
- Narrator: On August 30, 1993,
minnie is arrested at work.
- She was basically silent, cold as ice,
uh, she wouldn't answer any questions.
- Narrator: Minnie's reluctance to cooperate puts
the heavily circumstantial case in jeopardy.
- The da's office dismissed the case.
I didn't agree with it, I thought that, uh,
it was a good case, I just thought that the, uh--
the da's office at the time
just didn't want to try a tough case.
- Daniel, he shelves the case, but he doesn't close it out,
he leaves it as an open case, and he waits,
he just bides his time.
- Daniel: I felt we had the right people from the start.
We just needed somebody with the will and the political
backbone to--uh, to take a tough case to trial.
- Narrator: Coming up, a shocking development
resurrects a long cold case.
- It was important in connecting them up and showing
that there was this plan, and this conspiracy.
- Narrator: And an unprecedented decision in court
stirs things up.
- She requested to the judge
if she could go pray on the matter.
- I've been prosecuting for 25 years,
but this is a first.
- ♪
- narrator: In the fall of 1993,
the case against 29-year-old minnie salinas
for the murder of san antonio school teacher velia guevara
has just been dismissed.
- Daniel: After the case got dismissed
by the district attorney's office,
I was still in the homicide unit.
So, I--I kind of worked around the periphery.
I would make phone calls to the family members
and people who had knowledge about the murder
to see if any new information was received over the years.
- Narrator: In 1995, an important detail
related to the investigation is exposed
in a seemingly unrelated court case involving jim
and velia's family.
- Time goes by, and james makes a claim to the insurance company
for velia's insurance policy.
- Adolfo: He was trying to claim
the teacher retirement fund as the spouse--
the surviving spouse, um--
and, um, velia's parents weren't having it.
So, they got an attorney
and they brought suit against him.
- Velia's family fought james guevara
over the life insurance-- the teacher's life benefits,
- adolfo: It was a modest amount of money, it was $50,000.
They settled the suit, and, uh, the parents get 25 grand,
he gets 25 grand.
- Narrator: While the settlement brings an end to the lawsuit,
something said during jim's deposition reignites
the case against him and his alleged lover.
- As part of that suit, james was given a deposition
where their attorney was able to ask him questions.
And part of those questions included, uh,
"have you talked to minnie salinas?"
you know, "when's the last time you talked to her?"
- he indicated that he had not seen minnie salinas for years.
He didn't know where she was. He had no contact with her.
- Bill: Once the settlement occurs, which I believe
was on June 21, 1995,
so james gets his check cut from that settlement.
- Ten days after the settlement of that lawsuit, uh,
danny gonzales discovered that james guevara and minnie salinas
were married in las vegas, nevada.
- And I think, at the time, uh, when he married her,
she was seven months pregnant with his child.
So, now the state knows that he has lied in a deposition
about even being in contact with minnie salinas.
It was the piece that the state needed in order to go forward
on the case.
- Daniel: It just seems to tie everything together
that the motive for this--this murder was about what--
jim wanted to be with minnie.
- Narrator: Armed with this new information,
detective gonzales is given a second chance
at finding justice
after a new da is sworn in in 1999.
- I took the case over again to the new district attorney,
basically with no new information.
What I had filed in '93 was pretty much the same
as what I had filed in '99.
- Bill: We kinda talked about the case, and everybody
kind of looked at each other wondering,
"why didn't we file on james guevara?
"he seems just as guilty because it looks like
they got together and did it."
- this boosted the case forward towards a grand jury indictment,
and they were formally charged.
- Narrator: In February of 2000,
nearly 7 years after velia's murder,
jim's lawyers do their best to defend a client
that cheated on his spouse.
- I went through a lot of-- of points as far as
what the evidence was, but my--my biggest issue,
I still remember is like, "yeah, the guy's a son of a bitch,
but that doesn't mean he killed anybody."
- david: The defense attorney basically told the jury
that, "there needs to be more proof than this."
and, uh, thankfully the jury found him guilty in short order.
- Narrator: With jim's trial over, prosecutors move
to try minnie in July of 2000.
- Minnie's case was different, because our theory was that
minnie was the shooter, and james was a participant.
So now, the focus is just on minnie.
But the same evidence is used.
- David: Shelley, the assistant manager,
was crucial as far as being able to id minnie salinas
as being at the location, because that's the closest thing
to direct evidence that you have.
- Narrator: But minnie's attorney argues
his client's guilt cannot be based solely
on this one witness.
- There was nothing to put minnie at the scene
except these very obscure identification issues.
There were no prints, there were no firearms, uh, recovered.
So, there was really no forensic evidence to tie minnie
to this offense at all.
- Narrator: Following seven days of compelling testimony,
the jury begins deliberations.
But after 16 hours, they are unable to reach
a unanimous verdict.
- It ended in a mistrial,
it--it was like-- there were two hold-outs.
- Bobby: There were clearly people who sided with minnie
and who were not afraid to show they did not believe
minnie committed this offense.
- Adolfo: So, they dismissed the jury, and...
I believe in March of the next year, 2001,
she went to trial again.
- Narrator: When it's time for the new jurors
to begin deliberations, the trial once again
takes a surprising turn.
- I believe it was a female juror, uh,
was struggling with, you know, some very heavy, uh, decisions
regarding the guilt or innocence of minnie salinas,
and she requested to the judge if she could go pray
on the matter at the san fernando cathedral,
which is right across from the courthouse.
- Bill: I've been prosecuting for 25 years,
but this is a first,
and it's the only time it's ever happened.
- David: They did go there, and they were there
I'd say 30 minutes and they came back
and probably after another 30 minutes, uh, sent a note
with the bailiff back to the court saying,
"we have a verdict."
- narrator: Prosecutors now wonder,
will divine intervention ultimately decide the verdict
in the murder of this woman of faith?
- She was found guilty of murder and the jury sentenced her
to 50 years for that murder.
- Daniel: 50 years is a long time to be in prison.
I think it's a just sentence.
- Bobby: The tragedy of this case is, of course, velia.
She is sleeping with the devil,
and--and the devil has a mistress.
- Adolfo: These two people had sociopathic tendencies.
They only cared about what they could do for each other
and be--be damned the rest of the world.
- Narrator: Though the end of the trial brings relief,
the pain of losing velia never fades.
- Velia was a very sweet,
gentle, beautiful soul
who didn't deserve what she got.
- Silvia: All of the children that she should've taught
missed out on a great teacher.
All the friends that she had miss her very much.
And her family... I can't imagine.
- ♪
♪♪